China Targets 70 Gigawatts of Solar Power to Cut Coal Reliance

May 16 (Bloomberg) -- China, the world’s biggest carbon
emitter, plans to speed up solar power development, targeting a
more than tripling of installed capacity to 70 gigawatts by 2017
to cut its reliance on coal.

The goal would be double a previous target set for 2015,
according to a statement posted today on the National
Development and Reform Commission’s website. China also plans to
have 150 gigawatts of installed wind power capacity by 2017, 11
gigawatts of biomass power and 330 gigawatts of hydro power.

The plans come as the nation strives to get 13 percent of
the energy it consumes from non-fossil fuels. Deadly pollution
has forced the government to declare war on smog.

“This suggests the trend that China will develop
alternative energy is stable,” Wang Xiaoting, a Hong Kong-based
analyst from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said today by phone.
“The new solar target set for 2017 will be easily attained if
China keeps the current development pace.”

As part of its goal, China also aims to operate 40
gigawatts of nuclear plants by 2015 and 50 gigawatts by 2017.

China had almost 20 gigawatts of installed solar capacity
at the end of last year, according to data compiled by
Bloomberg.

Of all the electricity carried by grids supplying the
cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Tangshan, the commission says 10
percent should come from wind by 2015 and 15 percent by 2017.
Wind energy generated 2 percent of the nation’s electricity in
2012, according to data from China’s State Electricity
Regulatory Commission.

The government will also increase natural gas output and
speed up the development of coal-bed gas and shale gas,
according to the statement. China targets natural gas supply
capacity of 250 billion cubic meters in 2015 and 330 billion
cubic meters in 2017.